A World of Swords
by BlueStryker
Summary: The World of Sword Art was created by the intellectual mind of Kayaba Akihiko. But when Kayaba decided to trap 10'000 people. It became up to the players to decide their fate. Would they clear all 100 floors. Or would they all perish to never see the real world again. The responsibility fell into the hands of 4 individuals.
1. Chapter 1: A New World

Chapter 1: A New World

Hello Everyone. I am back to writing fanfiction after a long hiatus. Sorry for that by the way it's just that I have been very busy with college and family matters. I will try a lot better to get the Attack on Titan fanfiction completed, so please be patient and enjoy this Sword Art Online fanfiction. The fanfiction will relate to the actual anime series with a few changes. I will be adding characters to the story line such as my own character as well as other OC's. Please enjoy this fanfiction and I will definitely try and keep up with this fanfiction. Thank you and Enjoy.

The NerveGear. A incredible piece of technology. Allowing the user to place he machine onto their head and allow them to dive into the world of Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online games and as of such, I've been really getting into this game called Sword Art Online. My name is Akito Hyami, a name that I hold dear to me as it's one of the only things I have that reminds me of my mother. My father is a gentle man with a warm embrace and my sister is an upbeat quirky bundle of joy called Reika Hyami. I am a 15 year old male kind and caring individual with cyan hair and amber eyes. I have short hair that mostly covers my left eye but it doesn't bother me. I am around 6'0 foot tall and reside in Kyoto. Back to the NerveGear. It stops the users physical body from moving and allows them to move their ingame character. I'm used to VRMMO's so I am able to learn faster than most other players. From what I know, around 10'000 other people have been attracted into the world of Sword Art Online and who can blame them. I use SAO to escape the real world form all the pain it has caused me in the past. This is where the story begins. "Link Start!"

I stretch my virtual body and pull out my weapon to examine it. I use a a normal sword like every other player while I just train on wild enemies such as boars and orcs but I can't wait to get my hands on a amazing blade that nobody will be able to have. A blade that will only drop from a boss. But I'm thinking to ahead of myself here.

"Just killing slimes and boars does get repetitive after a few hours." I sighed to myself. "I mean thats literally all that we do right now. Well, I should go for dinner in the real world. Reika will be missing her older brother." I smiled and went to log out.

"Wha-?!" I jumped and spotted there was no log out button where it used to be. "Maybe it's just a bug?" I questioned as I closed the menu and reopened it but to no avail, the log out button was still missing so I tried pressing it but nothing happened. "What's happening?" I kept questioning what was happening. But as I started questioning, I was teleported.

"Wha-?! A forced teleport?!" I was confused. It seemed every player was getting teleported as well. I felt powerless and worried at the same time. I didn't know what to do. The all of a sudden the sky turned red and a mysterious figure appeared above all of us players bigger than any enemy I'd ever seen. He towered over us players like a god.

"Attention, players. Welcome to my world." The mysterious figure spoke. "My name is Kayaba Akihiko. As of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world."

I gritted my teeth while my eyes were widened. I could tell this wasn't an event.

"I'm sure you've already noticed, that the logout button is missing from the main menu. But this is not a defect in the game... I repeat... this is not a defect in the game. It is a feature of Sword Art Online."

"What does he mean a f-feature..?" I asked myself.

"You cannot log out of SAO yourselves. And no one on the outside can shutdown or remove the NerveGear. Should this be attempted, the transmitter inside the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life."

My eyes shot wider than ever before "E-Ending my l-life..?!"

"Unfortunately, several players' friends and families have ignored this warning and have attempted to remove the NerveGear. As a result, two hundred and thirteen players are gone forever, from both Aincrad and the real world."

"Two hundred and thirteen... killed..." I couldn't believe what I was hearing but for some reason, I believed it. Everything the creator, Kayaba Akihiko, was saying.

"As you can see, news organizations across the world, are reporting all of this, including the deaths. Thus, you can assume that the danger, of a NerveGear being removed is no minimal. I hope you will relax and attempt to clear the game. But I want you to remember this clearly. There is no longer any method to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be forever lost. and simultaneously the NerveGear will destroy your brain. There is only one means of escape. To complete the game. You are presently on the lowest floor of Aincrad, Floor 1. If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the Floor Boss, you may advance to the next level. Defeat the boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game."

"100 floors... Looks like being a beta tester should help me here." I thought to myself, wondering if I could see anyone I knew in the real world or if I could spot a beta tester. "There has to be someone..."

"Finally, I've added a present from to your item storage. Please see for yourself."

I checked my inventory and saw an item called 'Mirror' so I took it out and it transformed me into my real self from the real world. I was no longer my avatar.

"Right now, you're probably wondering, "why". Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of Sword Art Online and the Nerve Gear, do all this? My goal has already been achieved. I created Sword Art Online for one reason. To create this world and intervene in it."

All I could do is watch Kayaba Akihiko and listen.

"And now, it is complete. This ends the tutorial for the official Sword Art Online Launch. Good luck players" Kayaba finished his statement and faded away.

This caused a sheer amount of panic as many players were screaming, crying and much more. I started to run from the main area to train when I bumped into a black haired boy.

"Sorry! Are you okay?" I asked, offering my hand to help the guy up.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied. Something about him made me feel different.

"My name is Akito. Pleasure to meet you..?" I said while leading on the quesion for his name.

"Kirito. The name is Kirito." He responded.

"Kirito... I believe I have heard that name before." I asked myself. "Nice name, anyway, sorry for bumping into you, it's just the events of today have gotten me a little shaken up." I explained.

"Yeah, I know how you feel." Kirito said with a concerned look on his face.

"How about we party up, since this is now a survival, wouldn't being a team make more sense than being alone?" I asked.

"It would. But I'd rather be alone for some time, send me a friend request and I'll keep in touch." Kirito told me.

"All right, I can accept that." I said smiling as I sent him a friend request. "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around Kirito." I said waving.

This is no longer a game that 10'000 people are playing. This is a death game. We used to play this game for the time being for fun. Now, it's all about survival. Right now, I'm alone in a field of storms and these storms are going to be staying for quite a while...


	2. Chapter 2: The First Step

Chapter 2: The First Step

It took all of us players that were trapped inside this death game around a week I believe to settle into the world of Sword Art. There have been around 2000 more players that have lost their lives to never live again in the real world. And the first floor had not even been cleared. This is insanity. It's sheer and utter madness. But these thoughts that shroud my mind are going to have to wait because today is the day when we attempt to tackle the first floor boss. I know I could solo this boss, after all, I was a beta tester, I could solo all the way up to the 70th floor. I could even solo past that. No, 'could' would imply that I would struggle to do so. I know I can solo past the 70th floor. But in this game, going solo can only get you so far...

I sat on the stone step, the feeling sent cold vibrations through my body. There were no actual chairs of such, just stone steps to sit on as said before.

"So this is the plan" Diavel said clearly. Diavel was the man in charge of leading us through the first floor to beat the boss.

"We shall form parties, this way, we can attack the boss with small forces whilst the other parties can take out the Ruin Kubold Sentinels. Once the Sentinels are dead, they should have around a minutes timer before the next wave come to attack, so make sure your on alert, all while not getting yourself killed. Illfang is very large and very strong as it seems." Diavel explained.

'I already know how to kill Illfang the Kubold Lord, His blade has a long reach and he moves around his room.' I thought. 'So all I have to do is dodge his swings and strike so that when he's recovering from his ' _Fury Swing_ ' with sword skills' I thought to myself.

"Everyone party up, parties of more members are better but you'll still have to be prepared. We will be taking on this dungeon tomorrow noon." Diavel told us.

I trust Diavel's judgement. He's been trying to keep people calm in this horrific situation. I've been talking to Diavel for about a week abut the current events and how to tackle the first floor. He was saying that he's already been to the boss room multiple times but nobody would listen and rush in just to be killed.

I noticed Kirito in the corner of my eye who looked to be partying up with another player in a red hood. I could see that the players name was Asuna.

'Hmm, Kirito and Asuna are partying up, it looks like Kirito is helping her out, I guess.' I thought.

"Umm... Hi there..." A faint voice spoke to me. I turned my head to notice a small girl who looked around the age of 14. She had long lilac hair that frizzed at the bottom and around midway with two small drops of hair on each of her shoulders and lilac eyes to match.

"Hey there." I responded openly, trying to be as friendly as possible.

"Umm... My name.. is.. Izume..." She said in a quiet timid voice.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Izume. I'm Akito." I said smiling. "I'm guessing you want to party up?" I asked her still smiling to see if it took away any of her shyness.

"Y-Yes... Would you..?" She asked looking at the floor. I looked at her level and saw that it was way below what everyone else's levels were.

"Yeah. Sure." I responded politely and smiled again. I could see people looking at me confused to why I accepted her to join a party. "Here." I opened the menu and sent her a party invite. "You know how to accept it, right?"

Izume nodded, accepting the invite. I felt some relief to know that she wasn't completely hopeless, but her level did set me at an uneasy feeling. How can someone with such a low level survive for over a month trapped inside of a game where you can die at any time? Then it hit me, She barely left the safe zone and only killed boars and slimes to gain experience points.

"Izume?" I asked.

"Yes..?" She replied with a slight tremble in her voice.

"Why is your level so low?" I asked even though I knew the answer.

"I-I-I... I-I'm afraid t-to f-fight monsters..." She replied looking very emotional.

At this moment, I felt I needed to comfort her, like I do with my sister in the real world, I needed to make her smile or laugh or at least keep the tears away. "Hey. It's okay. Look, I'll help you level up so at least if you are hit by the boss you won't die." I told her.

"R-Really..?" She said with a slight smile on her face.

"Of course. I'l try as best as I can to help you out." I said to Izume. But the truth was, I couldn't be sure if I was going to protect her. Anything could happen.

We trained in the fields for around 3 hours with a few intervals so that Izume could regain her strength.

"Hiyaaa~!" Izume shouted as she sliced away with her short sword at the enemy slime. The slime shattered into hundreds of shards and this confirmed that Izume had leveled up enough to finally take on the boss.

"You're getting good at this Izume, you've finally found your groove." I said with a smile on m face.

"T-Thanks.. Truth be told... I'm still very scared.." She said looking a little nervous still. "How is it th-that you can k-keep your calm at a time like this..?" Izume asked, confused on how I can remain so calm in such a terrible time.

"I guess the reason would be, that I try not to think about it much. I think of how proud my family would be to know that I'm fighting on through this terrible time and that I won't be easily defeated." I explained. "No matter how many negatives are stacked against you, you have to find the positives otherwise there's no point fighting at all." I continued.

Izume looked at me for a couple of seconds before looking at the ground. "Find the positives..." She whispered to herself.

"Well, it's gotten quite dark, I say we rent out an inn for the night and train a little in the morning so your even more prepared. What'cha say?" I asked Izume, who seemed to still be in her own thoughts.

"Izume?" I tried getting her attention. After a few times of calling her name, I went up to her and tapped her shoulder.

"Wha-?!" Izume jumped in shock.

"Sorry, you weren't responding so I got confused and slightly concerned." I told her with a concerned look.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must have spaced out." She said, I could tell her confidence was building every time she spoke in a sentence.

"I said, it's gotten quite dark, I say we rent out an inn for the night and train a little in the morning so your even more prepared. What'cha say?" I asked again.

"You mean, sleeping in the same room?!" She said looking very distressed.

"Yes, but we'll have separate beds." I told her.

"Well... Okay..." She agreed.

We headed to an inn that I knew quite well, being that most shops and inns are NPC buildings, this means they are run by NPC's or Non Playable Characters. I paid for our room and we headed there immediately.

"Here is our room for the night. It's not all that decorative but hey, it's cosy enough." I said with a smile.

"Okay... I'm going to change into my night clothes so turn around..." Izume told me.

"Alright." I said in response as I turned around to not watch a woman change clothes. She gave me the all clear to turn back around andwhat she was wearing was a lilac silk nightgown. I took off my armor and hopped into my bed and turned out the light as Izume got into her bed.

"Goodnight Izume." I said to her smiling.

"Goodnight..." She responded.

Izume must have fallen asleep in a mater of moments, however, I stayed up a little while longer contemplating the fact that me or Izume could die at any moment. Which was the scariest part about SAO. It sent slight shivers down my body but I moved the thoughts aside so I could enjoy a good nights rest...


	3. Chapter 3: One Floor Down

Chapter 3: One Floor Down

I slept like a baby, I don't think I've ever slept so well. I literally passed out but when I woke up, I didn't expect to see what I saw. I was taken by suprise, shock, confusion. All these emotions skattered around my mind. Questions such as, 'What do I do' and 'Did I do something last night' were also thrown into the mixture of utter confusion that was my mind at that point. What I woke up to was Izume in my bed. Her bed was left a mess and she was fast asleep laying next to me.

"Aww... She's adorable." I said to myself quietly, trying not to wake her. I slipped out of the bed and equipped my armor and weapon. Izume still slept for a around an hour before waking up.

"Aahh~" Izume yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning sleepy-head." I said with a smile.

"Morning..." Izume said quietly in a tired voice.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked, still keeping a smile on my face.

"Yeah..." She responded.

"You do know you slept in the same bed as me, right?" I asked her. I had no clue what her reaction was going to be.

"I-I d-did..?!" She said looking very embarresed. I felt bad but I couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you laughing..?!" She asked tearing up.

"Sorry, I just found it that you look cute when you sleep, and you're making a huge deal of this when you came to sleep with me." I explained to her.

"I-I did..?" She asked wiping the small tears away.

"Yeah. Well, I assume that, I woke up with you next to me and your bed looked a mess." I explained further.

"Oh... I must have had a nightmare and by instinct, came to sleep with you." She told me. "This would happen to me in the real world." She added.

Out of instinct, and care, I went over to Izume and hugged her. I'd only ever hugged my family before so it felt somewhat new to me.

"A-A-Aki-to..?!" Izume said shocked. She knew why I was hugging her. It was obvious. "Thanks..." She added.

"No worries. I was the same." I told her to comfort her even more. "Now, you should get dressed, I have a meal waiting for you and then it's more training and then off to fight Illfang." I explained our day to her.

"Illfang?" She questioned.

"Yeah. Illfang. The Kubold Lord. That's the boss' name." I answered.

"Oh, okay. I didn't know that." Izume said calming down.

"It's name isn't necessary. It what it'll do to you is important." I told Izume. "Diavel told us the basics. But I already knew all that. Thats why that orange haired kid started having a rant about beta testers and the fact that over 2000 players are already dead. Thank god Agil stopped him cause we tried helping the new players-" I stopped my sentence realising what I'd just said.

"Wait... You're a... Beta Tester..?!" Izume asked with shock to her voice.

I sighed. "Yes.. I am.." I sighed again. "I know many others who are Beta Testers." I also said.

"Then... That's why you've been helping me... Because I'm weak and you don't want to feel bad anymore for those who lost their lives." Izume said, looking into my eyes, I could see the tears forming and so I wiped them away.

"Your halfway there. I don't think your weak and neither should you. I can take the blame for the deaths of the 2000 already passed away. But when I saw you, I saw a spark of hope, someone that will become a hero to others. When I saw you, I saw a friend." I said becoming slightly teary myself as Izume wiped my eyes in exactly the same way as I did for her.

"You're such a fool." Izume said laughing. "But thank you." Izume added as I recieved a friend request from her. Of course, I accepted it without hesitation.

"Now, I'll let you change and eat. We do have a big day ahead of us." I told Izume.

"Okay." She responded.

Izume changed and ate. Now, I don't mean to brag, but I am an amazing cook whether it be in SAO or reality. I know how to make a perfect meal. We then spent around an hour in the fields training even more. Izume has definitely gained a lot more confidence than when I first met her. I know, it's been a month since Kayaba Akihiko trapped us but I already feel acustomed to this world. I guess being a Beta Tester helped. We then rendevoued with Diavel and the rest of the groups, including Kirito and this Asuna player. I decided to ask Kirito, being that I know him quite well in the space of the month we've been trapped, to join me and Izume. He asked Asuna and they accpeted the party invite.

"So, there's something you should know. Illfang will switch his battle style once his health reaches it's fourth stage. He will equip what is known as a Talwar, it's a strong blade and he will ajust his fighting technique, he will become much more aggresive. So watch out for that." Kirito explained.

"Yeah, I know. So we should make sure we stick to taking out the Ruin Kubold Sentinels first, then we can focus all our sword skills on the Illfang to take him out." I added.

"Sounds like a plan." responded Asuna. For some reason, Asuna kept her hood on at all times, It made her more mysterious.

"Everyone! Listen up. We are off to fight Illfang now. Sort out your equipment and your potions. Always keep a teleport crystal close by as well." Diavel ordered us. It was less ordering and more helping.

We approached the boss room doors, clearing out the odd enemy that had spawned.

"Here we are." Izume spoke whith a little tremble to her voice. I looked at her with a smile to ease the pressure off of her.

"Everyone get ready. Kirito. Asuna. You two take out the Ruin Kubold Sentinels on the left side. Akito and Izume take out the ones on the right side. This will allow the rest of us to attack Illfang." Diavel instructed.

"Got it." We repied at once, as the giant wooden door was opened by the front line squad we had accompanying us for the fight.

We charged in, sticking to our roles, Kirito and Asuna took to the left Sentinels as me and Izume took to the right Sentinels.

"Light's Ruin!" I shouted, activating my sword skill where I slice in a 'x' pattern before jumping and spinning toward the enemy cutting through them. I then sliced through two more Ruin Sentinels, sending all three of them into shards. I had no time to celibrate as more had spawned. Izume was holding up perfectly fine as she cut through two Sentinels at once. I couldn't help but smile as I continued to focus on the task at hand. Kirito and Asuna were holding up fine but something I had noticed was how fast Asuna could attack. I thought that this was breaking the speed parametres. I tried not to focus on that but that's when I noticed the boss reach the third stage. And didn't equip a Talwar.

"Wha-!" I thought. I knew Kirito was thinking the same thing by the expression on his face. "Kirito! That's not a Talwar!" I shouted to him.

"I know! It's a Nodachi!" He responded, but by the time we had realised this, it was too late. Diavel had been hit with a deadly combo from the Nodachi that Illfang had equipped, his health reaching zero.

"Ugh..." Diavel grunted.

"Here! Use this!" Kirito offered urgently holding Diavel who intently refused.

"No... I don't need it. I failed as a Beta Tester. It's up to you guys now... Beat Illfang for me..." Diavel said, as he began to glow. It didn't take a genius to know he was after the boss drop. Diavel then scattered into thousands of shards to never be seen again.

I nodded over to Kirito and readyied my sword. As did Izume. Asuna. And of course Kirito. We all attacked Illfang at once, his health dropping rapidly. Illfang put up a fight by slicing my left arm and swinging at Asuna, destroying her cloak. We all charged our sword skills and stuck Illfang. Illfang's health was almost depleted and this was when Kirito delivered the final blow. Illfang shattered into thousands of shards and we were greeted by a 'Congratulations' message as we all recieved loot and of course, Kirito earning the boss drop. The 'Coat of Midnight'. That was when Kibaou started attacking Kirito for not saving Diavel, he then started blaming the beta testers again and Kirito just accepted all responsibility, bringing up his menu and equipping the 'Coat of Midnight' and walked to the second floor.

"Hey!" Asuna called to Kirito. "I never caught your name." She added.

"It's Kirito. You could have seen it from the party tab." Kirito responded.

"Oh. Yeah." Asuna said feeling dumb.

"This is where I'm leaving you all. You should start a guild Asuna. You're very strong and fast." Kirito told her as he walked off.

"Well, how was your first boss fight Izume?" I asked kindly.

"Well, it was amazing! I've never felt this feeling before." She replied. "It was so much fun." She added.

"Well, next time, watch your health bar, you got a little too reckless." I told her.

"Oh, Sorry." She apologised.

"Don't apologise, it's a learning experience." I said laughing.

We had defeated Illfang the Kubold Lord. But we lost a fellow friend. And us Beta Testers are getting attacked now. This situation is blowing up but I have to move on. I know there is that blade out there for me, and I need to clear all 100 floors of Aincrad. So I can return all the surviving players. But I had grown somewhat attached to Izume. She had become a close friend and that's what the world of Sword Art needed. People to become friends and help each other. Not to hide their pain inside themselves and keep away becasue doing that will end up getting someone killed or even themselves killed. If more people worked together instead of trying to go it alone then there could be less deaths...


	4. Chapter 4: The Last Attack

Chapter 4: The Last Attack

I decided to go to the second floor with Izume straight away. I wasn't to explore what floor 2 had to offer, as did many others. I wanted to treat Izume to something nice being how she's been so kind to me. I knew that if only me and her trained more so that we could fight through the second floors dungeon and defeat the boss, I would be able to get the last attack drop bonus. I already knew what the second floor boos was. It's name was VFT Mark 3, which stood for Venus Fly Trap. It was a mechanical venus fly trap that would use vines to snare players and bite them with its metal jaw to kill them. The reason I know this is from being a beta tester, but what good are we to everyone else. We can't protect anyone, even our own fellow beta testers. I had learned from Kirito that Diavel was a fellow beta tester through the message system. So to lose a beat tester to the first boss does sting a little bit. It hurts more with time. How many are going to die in this death game before 100 floors are cleared. Over 2000 players are dead already and the first floor has just been cleared. Now, I had learned from the closed Beta that if we can defeat VFT Mark 3 in a set time, then there will be a secret boss fight that will be extremely difficult for our levels. So that's why I wanted to train with Izume. So that we stand a chance against the boss from the closed Beta. I wanted to get the last attack on this secret boss. I needed it...

"Hey Izume, I have a question to ask you." I said walking up to Izume who at the time was shopping for new weapons and armor.

Izume turned and smiled at me. "Oh, hey Akito. What's on your mind?" She asked.

"I have an idea and I'm going to need your help with it." I said looking towards the fields where enemies will spawn.

"You want to take on the second boss, don't you?" Izume asked knowing the fact that what she said was exactly true.

"Yea, I do. How'd you know?" I asked looking puzzled.

"You're too reckless and too driven to complete this game, you want to save as many people as you can but you never take any time to just relax and have some fun. Yeah, we're trapped inside a game where we can die at any moment, but wouldn't you rather have fun than die without at least enjoying yourself?" Izume told me.

I thought about it and I had to admit it, Izume was right. If I keep pushing myself then I will end up costing others their lives and even my own life could end.

"But I'll come with you t take on the second boss." Izume added to her previous statement.

"You will?" I asked, confused to whether she wanted to go or not.

"Sure. It'll be a time for me to get better and gain more levels." She responded without hesitation.

We set off after organizing our equipment and trained for around two hours, our levels reaching around level thirty. However, for our third hour of training, I took what Izume said to heart and decided to go sightseeing with her, it definitely made her day from the smile on her face.

"I'll be honest, I didn't expect you to take me to such a nice field, the lake is very pretty and the view is beautiful." Izume said with a giant smile on her face.

"I know, I like coming here because it's such a nice and peaceful area." I said looking at the view.

"Yeah... I didn't think that you would take a break, I though you would jump straight to fighting the dungeon boss." Izume said as she began to laugh and I couldn't help but laugh along side her.

"I wanted to, but you convinced me otherwise." I said smiling.

"Well, this boss isn't going to defeat itself, let's beat it and get to floor three." Izume said gripping her short sword.

"Yeah!" I cheered.

The journey to the dungeon was tiring and we stopped several times to replenish our hunger and thirst. We entered the dungeon and cleared it of the plantziods and slimes. As we approached the boss room we were greeted with a quest message to defeat the boss with a time limit.

"Umm... Akito, did you know about this time limit?" Izume asked looking very puzzled.

"Oh, I knew. I just wanted to surprise you." I said smiling. I'd only just noticed Izume had new clothes/armor. It was more like a robe blended with armor colored in a soft yellow and white. "You ready?" I asked her, preparing myself.

"Yes. Lets do this." Izume responded looking more focused than she'd ever been.

We opened the boss door and rushed into the room, VFT Mark 3 didn't have any minions to help it so we had to just focus on VFT Mark 3 whilst dodging his attacks.

"Lights Ruin!" I shouted activating my sword skill as I attacked the face of this mechanical venus fly trap. Taking out a chunk of its health.

"Flame Burst!" Izume shouted activating her sword skill, spinning in a circle multiple times taking out various vines and causing the boss to lose it's 1st health bar.

We charged in again swinging at it's reinforced vines wittling down its health with every strike. We were completely focused and I wanted that last hit. I needed it. We managed to take VFT Mark 3 to his final health bar in the space of 5 minutes of fighting giving us 5 minutes left to defeat him otherwise we wouldn't be able to fight the secret boss.

"Phantoms Call!" I shouted using my newly learned sword skill, slicing skywards propelling my body with the blade as I sliced three times before slamming by blade into the head of VFT Mark 3 sending it into thousands of shards.

"Phew... one down." I said receiving my newly acquired weapon which was a short sword called 'Maria's Rose' and it had the hilt of a normal sword bit the blade hat little points to resemble thorns. I didn't use a short sword but I kept hold of it as the real fight was about to begin.

"Drink a health restoration potion. You will need it." I told Izume before she had time to celebrate.

"Why? We won didn't we?" She asked looking puzzled.

"Not yet we didn't..." I answered as Draxis the Elder Dragon arrived.

"What is that..?" Izume asked hiding behind me.

"That is what I have come to kill. So either you stay behind me or you fight with me." I told her rushing towards Draxis. I sliced away at its scales trying to reveal it's skin to deal major damage. But without Izume helping at the moment, I was getting beaten badly, losing health and I wasn't even thinking about my health. Draxis inhaled and was about to finish me off with its 'Nocturne Breath' but luckily I was pulled away just in time by Izume.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED?!" Izume shouted at me with tears in her eyes. This was when I noticed my health was extremely low. I could feel her sadness. She cared about me. And if I died, she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

"I-I'm sorry Izume..." I responded holding her close. "I really am."

"Don't apologize, just drink the stupid potion and lets end this dragon." Izume said with sheer determination and rage in her voice.

I just nodded, I had never seen this side of Izume before, it was scary but amazing.

"Love's Revenge!" Izume shouted as she quickly sliced and stabbed Draxis around six times and on the last hit, swung her short sword down with a lot of power causing the scales to shatter.

"Lights Ruin!" I shouted as I rushed in and attacked the unarmored skin of Draxis as his health dropped significantly and I soon realised that Draxis was weak but powerful. He couldn't take much damage but he could also deal greater amounts of damage to those who weren't careful.

"Phantoms Call" I shouted as I could see Draxis' health getting lower with every hit and I thought that this would be enough to kill him, but it wasn't. I jumped back waiting for Draxis to turn into shards but he didn't, by the time I realized he still wasn't dead, it was too late. Draxis had hit me with 'Nocturne Breath' and I had become paralyzed with not much health left. Izume kept damaging Draxis but he didn't seem to attack her, which brought me to the conclusion that the player with the lowest health is targeted.

"I-Izume... Kill... It..." I stuggled to speak barely getting those words out.

"Flame Burst!" Izume shouted as Draxis exploded into thousands of shards. The paralysis effect wore off and I drank a health restoration potion.

"Congratulation. You killed it." I said with a slight discomfort in my voice.

"I did. But I got something I didn't need from the boss. So I want you to have it." Izume said smiling.

"Really?!" I said startled.

"Yes, because I know you have something for me." Izume replied giggling.

"So you know about 'Maria's Rose' then?" I asked.

"Of course, it's the best short sword in the game! I may not be the best player but I did my research." Izume giggled.

"Well. I'll send you a trade request." I said opening up the menu and selection to trade with Izume. I saw what she got from the boss. The blade I had been wanting this whole time. 'Seraphin'. With the handle made from dragon skin and the strongest metal in the game. The hilt in the shape of Draxis' head and the blade looking like teeth, coated in the color purple, this blade was what I had been wanting in this game. We both accepted the trade and I had noticed that I had also received a clothing item called 'Armor of the Dragon'. It was a thin white and black coat with the emblem of dragon fangs on the chest. I immediately equipped both in happiness. I finally had an identity for people to recognize me by. But I needed a nickname, something that people would call me by. But what would I be called. Then it struck me. The Ellusive Blade...


	5. Chapter 5: The Illusive Blade

Chapter 5: The Illusive Blade

It has been around 3 months since everyone became pawns in a death game. We had been able to clear 27 floors in that time. Kirito had told me about his experience with the Moonlit Black Cats and I did everything I could to comfort him. I didn't want to get into detail with what had happened to him. Losing all of your guild members in a day must really take a toll on someone. It did for Kirito, he changed so much. Being trapped inside of a game where the aim is to clear all 100 floors is quite terrifying, but for me, it isn't. I'm not that bothered by the whole 'Once your HP reaches zero, you die in real life' thing. If I die, then I die, it's as simple as that. That is the rule for every player. Izume told me to enjoy life whilst you still have it, and I've kept those words into consideration. I decided to part ways with Izume for the time being just so I could help out Kirito. I did suggest that Izume should join the Knights of the Blood Oath. I let her know that their a powerful guild and they could do with her talent with the blade, whether she took my advice is unknown to me unless she messages me. Kirito also told me about his encounter with Silica, who I had yet to meet. From what Kirito had told me about her, she sounded very sweet. But I had earned the title 'The Illusive Blade' and I wanted people to remember the name. I had to do something to make the whole of SAO remember who I was. So I decided that the best way was for people to duel me. That way I could use the new skill I had acquired from Draxis called 'Nocturnal Silence'. This sword skill allows me to vanish behind the enemy and strike them from behind with seven quick but powerful slices and strikes and with the last slash/strike, I slash through them in a diagonal slice sending me from behind them to become in front of them while slicing them with my blade 'Seraphin' finishing my sword skill. If I could use this sword skill to my advantage in these duels, then I would make a name for everyone to remember...

Players gathered to duel me. I was quite surprised by this because I didn't expect my message to appeal to that many players. Now in a duel, two players will fight until one of the players' health reach the yellow zone. Then the duel ends and whoever didn't reach the yellow zone wins. My level and ability surpassed everyone that came to duel me. I wasn't expecting my level being 50 to be that high but apparently it was with all the players level's being around the 25 to 35 mark. Duel after duel I would preform the 'Nocturnal Silence' sword skill and always win the duel. Everyone started calling me 'The Illusive Blade'. But I wasn't finished dueling yet, I had barely broken a sweat. These duels were too Izume in her same attire but in white and red which told me that she did join the Knights of the Blood Oath. I felt a bunch of emotions. I was happy that she joined a guild to protect her, but I felt alone, I didn't have anyone to team up with. Kirito was a solo player and from what he told me, Asuna was also in the Knights of the Blood Oath so had nobody to team up with. I was in the middle of a duel so I let my guard dwn which cost me to get hit so I had to regain my focus. I could tell the Knights of the Blood Oath were watching me, so I had to put on a show, and I had mastered activating sword skills without having to shout them, so I knew they'd be impressed. I ran at my opponent with blistering speed as they charged at me and I activated 'Nocturnal Silence' causing my opponent to wonder where I would strike from, and just as he turned away I took my opportunity and attacked him from behind hitting all seven strikes and slashes causing his health to reach the yellow zone and ending the duel. I sheathed Seraphin and walked over to Izume and the Knights of the Blood Oath.

"Well, well, well. You took my advice Izume, you joined the Knights of the Blood Oath." I said looking at her new attire.

"Yep. I am an official commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath." Izume responded quirkily.

"And I see you still have your upbeat nature." I said laughing.

"Of course, that won't ever change." She replied with a smile.

"And it's my honour to meet the second in command of the Knights of the Blood Oath again, pleasure to see you again Asuna." I said offering my hand out for a hand shake.

"It's a pleasure to actually speak to you..." Asuna said while asking for my name while shaking my hand.

"Akito." I answered. "The name's Akito."

"Well, it's nice to finally talk with you." Asuna said smiling.

"As am I. It's great to know you can talk with people in this game." I said.

"I will say this, I am very impressed with your skills as a swordsman. You stand out from other players." Asuna told me.

I chuckled. "Thanks, but I'm nobody special."

"Oh you are Akito. I've been hearing about you dueling players. You've become what they call The Illusive Blade" Asuna said inspecting my equipment.

"Oh that. That's just my title. It's nothing special." I responded.

"But enough about that. I'm curious to know where you managed to get a S Class sword and S class armor when we aren't even past the 30th floor." Asuna asked.

"Well, I'm sure if you ask Izume, she'll give you all the answers you need." I smiled as I walked away but Asuna wasn't letting me escape that easily.

"Oh, Izume told me everything, I just want to hear it from you." Asuna said looking me eye to eye.

"Well, can we talk somewhere a little less public?" I asked.

"Sure." Asuna responded.

We walked into Agil's shop. The place was empty apart from Kirito and another girl sat talking to Agil. Kirito turned and noticed us all, he looked confused but somewhat happy.

"Hey everyone. What are you all doing here?" Kirito asked.

"We just came by to get away from the public, if you haven't heard, Akito has gained quite the title."

"Oh, you have?" Kirito asked.

"Yeah. I guess dueling people and using a sword skill earns you a title." I laughed.

"So, am I going to here this story then Mr Illusive Blade or not?" Asuna questioned.

"Yes, you'll hear the story. But I want to know who the little girl is next to you Kirito." I said.

"That's Silica, the girl I told you about." Kirito replied.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you all." Silica greeted us politely.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The rest of us replied politely.

"Akito! Stop stalling." Asuna said getting frustrated.

"Okay! Okay! Okay! Jeez..." I said. "Well, it was the second floor, Me and Izume fought the second floor boss VFT Mark 3 just like you were supposed to, but since I am a beta tester, I knew about the secret boss Draxis the Elder Dragon, I didn't tell Izume about this because I didn't want her to worry. So once we defeated VFT Mark 3 within the time limit that would spawn Draxis, Izume thought we had won, that's when I let her know. Draxis was a high level which is why we trained for so long. We struggled fighting him as his agro targeted the lowest hp at the time, which was mine. We fought hard and defeated him which is why we have our equipment and weaponry. That's why I have Seraphin. This is the only one in existence. That's the story."

"That still doesn't explain how you're able to vanish. That shouldn't be able to happen within the game. Players are visible to all. How are you able to vanish and hide you stats?" Asuna asked.

"Oh, you want to know about that. That's my sword skill called 'Nocturnal Silence'." I answered.

"Nocturnal Silence?" Kirito questioned. "I tested the beta and I've never heard of it."

"Neither had I, which makes me wonder why I have it, I mean, I'm going to use it but I still wonder how I aqquired it. I think I obtained it from defeating Draxis. But that should mean Izume should have gained it as well, unless you have to be a blade user, which Izume isn't." I said think about it even more.

"I'll check my sword skills." Izume said checking her sword skills. "Nope. No sword skill called Nocturnal Silence but I do have a sword skill called Dragons Whisper." Izume added.

"That's it!" I said realizing why I have the sword skill.

"What's it?" Kirito asked.

"Since me and Izume use different weapons, we gained a sword skill suitable for that weapon. If there had been more people then there could have been more sword skills distributed." I explained.

"That would be the most reasonable answer, so we'll stick to that." Asuna agreed.

We discussed a little while longer before the shop door opened. A man with white hair in a ponytail walked in. He looked quite tall and a wore pale dark green cloak with black clothes. He looked very mysterious. Which made me want to learn more about him. I checked his name to see he was called Yinsei. He picked up a long slim blade which looked like a Hayabusa and left. I caught a glimpse of a logo on his arm but couldn't decipher what it could have been. I stood up to follow him but was pulled back down by Asuna.

"Hey! What's that for." I asked.

"Do you not know who that is?" Asuna scolded at me.

"No. Why, should I?" I asked looking confused.

"Yes. That's Yinsei, he is a solo player who is very strong. He has never lost a duel." Asuna told me.

"Well, neither have I. I want to find out how strong this Yinsei really is." I said.

"Fine, but it's your loss." Asuna told me.

"I think Akito will win." Izume said. "I've seen him fight the bosses. He doesn't give up."

"It's not about giving up, it's about who's health reaches the yellow point first." Kirito said.

"Well, we should cheer Akito on, right?" Silica asked sweetly.

"You know what, let's do it." Asuna said. "But if you lose, you're treating us all to dinner." She added.

"Deal." I smiled. "But I don't plan on losing."

We walked outside to find Yinsei asking about me. I felt a chill through my body. I hadn't had this much pressure on me ever. Back in reality, I never felt this pressure during my tests with kendo and studies. Yinsei walked up to Kirito and asked if he knew The Illusive Blade. Kirito pointed at me and Yinsei walked in front of me.

"Are you The Illusive Blade?" Yinsei asked. His voice as quite stern and solemn. It was somewhat eerie and creepy, like it omitted some sort of horrors within. His face was covered apart from his eyes.

"Yeah, why?" I asked looking into his eyes.

"I wish to duel you. I've heard you have yet to lose, but so do I." Yinsei said sending me a duel request.

"Okay, but don't go easy. I expect your very best." I said accepting the duel.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He smirked.

Everyone who was close gathered to watch the duel. The pressure kept building for me. The 60 second timer started giving both of us time to ready up and I readied myself into my starting pose. I bent down balancing on my left leg as my right leg was fully extended ready for me to either attack first or deflect any hits coming towards me. I placed Seraphin on my left elbow and I clutched my hand tightly and pressed it against my heart. Yinsei held his Hayabusa in a diagonal position which led me to think he was ready to strike first. The timer reached 30 as I looked back at Kirito and the others, smiling at them and giving them a nod. The timer hit 0 and Yinsei charged at me with insane speed, compared to Asuna, he was slower so I could predict where he was going to strike. I ducked under his slash and sliced his stomach as I turned around and pointed Seraphin downwards. He turned to face me and smirked. He charged again and I deflected his attack and slashed at his legs but he jumped over my slice and thrust his Hayabusa at me slicing my left arm. I backed away, I could tell he was very experienced. We charged at each other, our blades clashed at lightning speeds, both of us losing hp slowly. I could tell he had a trick under his sleeve but so did I. I used Lights Ruin to break his defense and slashed twice at him bringing him close to yellow. He then summoned his own sword skill breaking my defense and slashed at me five times. I was a slither away from reaching the yellow health mark. I wasn't about to lose as he charged at me, I activated Nocturnal Silence. Everyone's eyes widened, waiting for me to strike, however, I had a different idea, I sliced at Yinsei from behind however, Yinsei blocked my hit and went to strike but I activated it again as he swung at me, and then used Nocturnal Silence and sliced and slashed all seven times hitting Yinsei, his health hitting the yellow health and the duel ended. I sheathed Seraphin and held my hand out to help Yinsei up. He brought himself up nodding at me and walked away. He was very mysterious but I hadn't time to do anything as crowds of people swarmed me. It took around half an hour for the people to disperse and I was able to finally talk to Kirito, Asuna, Izume and Silica.

"Wow... What a battle. I will have to give it to you, you are one of the best duelers I've seen in this game." Asuna congratulated me.

"Thanks, but I'm not a dueler. I just wanted a name for people to remember me by." I told her. "So, how about we go for dinner, I'll pay."

"Wait, you didn't lose though." Izume said looking puzzled.

"I know, but I'm hungry." I replied.

"That sounds like a good idea. There's a nice restaurant on the first floor." Izume suggested.

"Lets go celebrate!" Silica cheered.

We had a nice stew for all of us celebrating my win. We were very happy but I couldn't stop thinking about Yinsei. Who was he. What was the logo on his arm and where did he go. All these questions shrouded my head but I had to focus on clearing all 100 floors. There is a long road ahead of us and we need to focus on this long road ahead of us. There will be harder bosses and harder enemies that will cross our paths. But every time I tried to get Yinsei out of my head, he kept coming back. After the meal Kirito left with Asuna and Silica stayed at Agil's shop to sleep upstairs. I walked with Izume for a while and we sat on a bench.

"Hey, Akito." Izume said.

"Yeah?" I responded smiling.

"You were pretty amazing in that duel against Yinsei." Izume told me looking into my eyes.

"Heh.. Thanks. But I've been unable to stop thinking about him." I said looking up at the stars.

"Why? You beat him, there's no reason to remember him now." Izume said looking at me.

"I don't think that's why I can't forget him." I said.

"Then why can't you forget him?" Izume asked.

"He had a logo on his lower arm. He wore a cloak and hid his face except for his eyes. He is definetly someone we'll meet again. I know it, but I don't know how." I explained.

"He was creepy. But the way he battled..." Izume said starting to think of Yinsei as well.

"He knew where I was when I used Nocturnal Silence the first time, that's why I sliced the air, because if I had attacked him, I would have lost that duel." I explained further.

"He did?!" Izume jumped.

"Yeah, I could tell." I said.

"It's very dark out, wanna stay round mine?" Izume asked.

"You'd let me?" I asked.

"Of course." Izume said smiling.

We walked to Izume's house she bought on the 17th floor in the main city there. It didn't cost her much and it was a cosy place. The furniture was nice and everything in the room seemed welcoming.

"Welcome to my home. It's not much but it's comfortable." Izume welcomed me.

"Nice place." I said.

"Thanks." Izume smiled.

We changed into our sleep wear and slept in the same bed. Izume had no problems with it and nor did I. I was suprised she didn't feel weird about it but I was happy she trusted me. It meant that we'd become really close friends. Izume slept so cutely and adorably. I stayed up very late thinking about Yinsei. Who was this mysterious person? What was the logo on his lower arm? How did he know where I was when I used Nocturnal Silence? Where did he go? Who is Yinsei?


	6. Chapter 6: Laughing Coffin

Chapter 6: Laughing Coffin

I woke up to Izume holding my hand. This made me smile and Izume smiled back. She looked so beautiful and I felt my heartbeat speed up. I knew what the feeling was but I didn't want her to notice. I had grown to like Izume more than just friend and I wanted to tell her, but I didn't want to lose her as a friend so I decided to keep my feelings to myself for the time being. We equipped our equipment and met up with Kirito and Asuna. We had a meeting about Yinsei. We discussed who he might be. We still had not come to a conclusion until Agil told us about murders of players that have been happening. There could only be one explanation to what the logo was on Yinsei's arm. Laughing Coffin. From what we heard from Agil, Laughing Coffin are a Player Killing guild that go around murdering players. They are the scum of this game and to find out Yinsei was one of them was an experience for me. I knew Yinsei was not a solo player, I knew he was somebody hiding his identity. I just didn't expect it to be Laughing Coffin. Yinsei had to be stopped. At all costs.

"So Yinsei is part of Laughing Coffin?" Silica asked.

"Yeah. I know he is, and I plan to fight him." I answered.

"You what?!" Asuna and Izume said in synchronization.

"I plan to fight him. I've beaten him before. I can beat him again." I told them.

"You know your plan is suicide." Kirito said to me.

"How is it?" I asked.

"Yinsei will have a whole guild to protect him. He's got to be the leader. Nobody like that is just a member." Kirito explained.

"You're right." I said.

"Plus, we'll need to repair our weapon and armor values." Kirito added.

"That's a good idea, but who is there to do that?" Silica asked.

"I know a good friend in this game who runs a smithy." Asuna said.

"Well, let's meet them then." Izume said.

"Izume, we have to return to the front lines soon. So we should plan this attack for another time. Kirito and Akito. You two find out more about Laughing Coffin. The more we know, the more lives we can save." Asuna explained.

"Sounds like a plan. Good luck with the floor 31 boss." I said to them as we split off.

"Hey! Don't leave without me!" Silica shouted.

"Oh, sorry Silica." Kirito said.

"It's okay, Asuna has told me all about Lisbeth" Silica said smiling.

"So her name is Lisbeth. That helps." I said.

Kirito nodded walking to Lisbeth's Smithy Shop. We arrived at her shop and the sound of smithing could be heard form the back room.

"Hmm, not a bad shop." I said.

Silica giggled. "Wait until you see Lisbeth. Lisbeth!" Silica said calling to Lisbeth.

A girl with pink short hair appeared from the back room which could only be her.

"Hey Silica. I see you brought guests. Asuna has told me about you both." Lisbeth said.

"Well, it's pleasure to meet you Lisbeth. The name is Akito." I introduced myself politely.

"So that's your name. I know about Kirito but I've never seen you before." Lisbeth smiled.

"Well, we've come with grave news. We've learned that Laughing Coffin are murdering players." I told her.

"Really?! Well then, you guys will need your armor and weapons restored. Give me a few minutes." Lisbeth said with a beaming smile.

"Thanks." I said gratefully.

Lisbeth restored our armor and weapon values in a matter of moments. I was surprised on how fast she repaired them. I was more than ready to fight Laughing Coffin, but the question was, how many were there in the murder guild?

"Silica, stay here with Lisbeth. Me and Kirito are going out to scout and we'd want you to stay here." I asked politely.

"Oh, okay. I can help Lisbeth then." Silica answered.

"Thanks." I said.

Me and Kirito equipped our weapons and armor and left Lisbeth's Smithy and head to where we heard a distress message. This was at this time the only lead we had. We needed to get to floor 29 as fast as we could so we used our teleport crystals to get there. We arrived at the distress location to find a man in green robes and clothes laying on the ground. I rushed over and asked Kirito to cover me.

"Are you okay? What happened?" I asked urgently.

The man struggled to move.

"Can you move?" I asked even more questions.

The man nodded his head as I helped him stand.

"Can you explain what had happened here?" I asked.

"I don't know, I was on floor 12 when I was struck from behind, when I woke I couldn't move and I was on floor 29." The man explained.

"So you don't know who attacked you?" Kirito asked.

"I've told you everything I know, am I allowed to go now?" The man asked.

"Sure." Kirito said.

"So much for a lead. Now we stranded without a clue on what to do." I said looking at the ground. And in all of a sudden, I felt a blade pierce my body and appear in front of my eyes. Kirito pulled out his 'Elucidator' but there were what I assume were Laughing Coffin members than we could have taken out. I couldn't tell Kirito to run as he'd be killed. I couldn't fight back otherwise we'd both be killed. We were in a terrible situation. I pulled my menu down and sent a distress message to Asuna and Izume, hoping they'd get it. A voice began to laugh meniacally. Kirito was ready to strike while I had a blade through my body.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here. Looks like we've stumbled onto some trouble makers. Isn't this a surprise. The 'Black Swordsman' and the 'Illusive Blade'. What a beautiful sight. Once we kill you both, the boss will be so happy with my work." The mysterious figure spoke. I recognized the voice, but I couldn't tell. I knew I'd never met them in the game so it must have been from real life. But who? I received a message from Izume saying that their on their way, ASAP. This gave me a little relief but I still couldn't tell who's voice it was.

"Well, Akito. It looks like your health bar is slowly draining. You'll be dead soon. And what a shame. You put in a great fight against so many people but can't even fight when someone has the upper hand. Pathetic." The figure spoke. I could tell it wasn't Yinsei. Yinsei spoke with respect and honor. The mysterious figure pushed the blade in further, whittling away at my life points. I was starting to fade away as Kirito started to fight the men surrounding us. I could only watch as my life was slipping away, aware of Kirito's life points slowly decreasing too.

"Ugh... Ki..ri..to..." I struggled. I couldn't even form sentences in the state I was in. I fell to my knees as the figure pulled the blade out of me and called his men to retreat.

"We'll be back. Akito." The man said as he fled.

"AKITO!" Izume shouted as she rushed over to my injured body. "Akito! Akito!"

Asuna rushed to Kirito's aid, helping him as much as she could.

"Akito! I'm so sorry! I should have stayed with you... This never would have happened if I had stayed with you..." Izume said tearing up. "It's all my fault..." Izume burst into tears and I grabbed her and held her close to me. I could tell she liked me more than just a friend.

"Izume. You saved my life. If you hadn't have come when you did, I would have been killed. Murdered by those men who I assume are Laughing Coffin. I owe you my life and much more." I thanked Izume. I was too scared to tell her how I really felt about her. Izume held me very close crying her heart out. I felt myself come to tears as well.

"You do know she cares a lot about you, Akito." Asuna told me.

"Yeah..." I replied. I could still feel Izume shaking and crying silently. I had to build up the courage to tell her how I felt but I didn't know how. "Izume..."

"Please don't let go. Just for a little while." Izume asked, her body was still shaking but she had stopped crying.

"Okay." I said, holding her softly. I still had tears in my eyes as Izume placed her head against my chest, hearing my virtual heart beat.

We stayed holding each other for hours, not letting go. I didn't want to let go and neither did Izume. I could tell Izume was scared of losing me, and in all honestly, I was scared too. I finally found friends that I couldn't do in the real world. In the world of Sword Art, I found a home of some sort. Being with Izume. Kirito. Asuna. Silica. Lisbeth. Klein. Agil. It's been a really happy time for me even though I'm trapped here fighting for my life. I decided to meet the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath. I wanted to let him know why Izume and Asuna had to leave on such short notice. So I was escorted to the leader with Kirito a few days later. I knew Kirito and Asuna were together. I was happy for them as was everyone else, even if Lisbeth was slightly jealous. We waited for around half an hour before meeting the leader. He had grey hair, similar to Yinsei and was equipped with a powerful sword and shield set. It was one of a kind so I thought it must have been either crafted or been a boss drop.

"Greetings gentlemen. My name is Heathcliff. I am the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath. It's an honor to meet the Black Swordsman and the Illusive Blade." Heathcliff spoke. His voice was very noble but modern.

"Greetings." I said. "But please, call me Akito."

"Oh, are you not one for titles?" Heathcliff asked.

"It's not that, it's just, I did use my name for a reason. It's to show I have nothing to hide." I replied.

"And my name is Kirito." Kirito told Heathcliff.

"I've heard all about you Kirito. You've dealt with the Laughing Coffin multiple times if Asuna has told me correct." Heathcliff questioned.

Kirito nodded. "Yeah, we stopped them killing once and we almost lost Akito the second time."

"That's good and scary to hear. I'm glad that you're still with us Akito." Heathcliff said.

"Heh.. Thanks, but I would have been dead if it wasn't for Izume and Asuna, which is what I came to you about. I wanted to explain what I know about Laughing Coffin right now and hope you can help us fight them." I explained.

"Go on." Heathcliff said with a serious expression.

"About a few days ago, I was dueling players, and I wanted to duel more people, so then I stumbled across this mysterious man named Yinsei, I dueled him. I won but he somehow knew where I was when I used one of my sword skills called Nocturnal Silence. It allows me to disappear behind them in a flash and strike them seven times. This bothered me because the skill also allows me to chose when I strike the enemy. So I can take my time or strike straight away. He also had a logo on his forearm, I questioned what it was in my mind. I then heard about Laughing Coffin and their murders and once I saw their logo on the guild tab on the menu, I knew he was part of them. This shocked me because this meant that the Laughing Coffin have a powerful ally. Then, a few days ago, me and Kirito had an unpleasant experience with what I assume was Laughing Coffin. But the experience wasn't the only thing that scared me. I knew the person with the blade that almost killed me, the one who stabbed me. I didn't manage to see his name but I have heard his voice before..." I explained in detail.

"Oh, and where have you heard his voice?" Heathcliff asked.

"In real life." I answered. I hated to bring my real life into the game but it had to be done. "I know I shouldn't bring my real life into the game but you asked where I knew the voice from." I added.

"That's completely understandable." Heathcliff said nodding his head. "But if you request the assistance of the Knights of the Blood Oath, you must prove your skills as a swordsman." He added.

"I understand, but right now, I'm still a little shaken from the events. As soon as I'm ready, I will come here and be ready to duel." I smiled.

I left with Kirito after talking for hours with Heathcliff. Kirito told me that there was going to be a push to clear lots of floors. Reaching around floor 50. I offered to go with them and Kirito nodded saying "The more we have, the better our chances." I knew he was right, the more people we have fighting, the better our chances of ending this nightmare game. I asked Izume if I could stay the night with her again and she gladly accepted. I unequipped my armor and weapon and sat on her bed. She sat next to me and held my hand.

"Akito. You have feelings for me, don't you?" Izume asked. My heart began to beat faster. I didn't want to answer in case I made a fool of myself, so I just looked down. Izume could tell what I was doing and lifted my head to make eye contact between us. "I already know the answer."

"Then why'd you ask the question?" I asked.

"Because I wanted you to say it. Because I have feelings for you. Feelings I never got to experience in reality. I've never felt this way about someone before. You've done so much for me Akito. I could never repay you for your kindness." Izume said tearing up. I held her close to me.

"You saved my life. That's more then enough to repay me, yes, I have feelings for you, I've just been afraid to show them because I didn't know how'd you feel. I'm happy to know you feel the same way." I said placing her hand on my virtual heart. "You feel how it's beating fast. That's because of you." I smiled.

We laid in bed and held each other close. We knew this was the start of something that you'd only read in fairy tales. This was our beginning as partners. As lovers. And I promised her I would see her when we beat the game. But even I knew that promise came with a heavy weight attached to it. I couldn't know if I was going to survive this game. I'd made it this far, but the road would only get tougher. Harder enemies. Harder Bosses. And I still had to deal with Laughing Coffin. I couldn't ensure I was escaping this game, but I would damn sure try my best. For Izume...


	7. Chapter 7: The Night Crawler

Chapter 7: The Night Crawler

Climbing Aincrad's floors were difficult. Each floor tested our abilities with new enemies and new bosses. Many of us struggled trying to beat these bosses whereas I didn't break a sweat. Neither did Izume, Kirito or Asuna. We were very high leveled for the game and our levels eclipsed everyone else's we were fighting with to beat the game. This bothered me, I didn't want to have to carry a burden if they die and I could have saved them. Asuna noticed this sudden change in me. She noticed that I wasn't acting like I usually was. So when we decided to take a break at floor 40 for a while so that everyone's energy could be recuperated, Asuna came over to talk to me. She knew something was up, she didn't know what be Asuna knew. Everyone else decided to just wander around floor 40's major town safe zone, however, Asuna didn't, she followed me out into the wilderness, until she found me sitting upon a rock, gazing at the sky.

"So, what's up?" Asuna asked looking concerned. I had no idea Asuna had followed me which made me jump when she spoke.

"Wha-?! Oh it's you, Asuna." I replied in shock.

"Of course, who else has my voice." She said.

"Fair point. So what bring you up here?" I asked.

"Don't you go changing the subject. I already asked you what's the matter?" She told me. I hadn't heard exactly what Asuna said the first time.

"Oh, I didn't catch what you said. Sorry. I'm fine." I replied.

"No, you aren't." Asuna said sitting next to me. "I could notice that you became less aware and started to get attacked a lot easier then you were before. And the level of the enemies wasn't the reason, your concerned abut something, aren't you?" Asuna questioned.

I sighed. "Yeah, I couldn't not think about escaping, and how in hindsight, we hold all these lives in our hands."

"I can understand why you feel like that. But wouldn't it be better to think of how many lives you will save when we do clear the game?" Asuna asked.

"I guess you're right. I shouldn't think on the negative side. I should be more positive. If I'm being positive, it'll encourage everyone else." I said. "Thanks Asuna, you're a great friend."

"I'm here to help" Asuna smiled. "Now let's get back to Kirito and Izume."

"Yeah, lets." I said smiling back.

We walked back down the mountain to the safe zone where we regrouped with Kirito and Izume. I held Izume close to me as she did the same. This caused Asuna and Kirito to smile. They didn't know that me and Izume had become a couple. That we were planning to get married inside SAO. Something that they were also planning.

"So, what's with the holding each other?" Asuna questioned.

"Do you want to tell them, or should I?" I asked Izume.

"You can." Izume smiled back, placing her head on my chest.

"Well, me and Izume decided to get together. We've known each other since around the beginning of when we became trapped in Aincrad. And we've been through a lot together." I explained smiling.

"Well, I'm happy for you two, you make a perfect couple." Asuna said smiling.

"As do you and Kirito." Izume said smiling back.

"Hehe, thank you Izume." Kirito said.

"So, when do we set back off to clear the next ten floors to reach floor 50?" I asked.

"We leave in around an hour. This is giving everyone's energy system time to recover because if you keep fighting without taking breaks, you body starts to feel the wear and you attacks become slower, you start getting dizzy, you deal less damage while taking more damage from enemies and you eventually pass out." Kirito explained.

"Wow. That's pretty scary." Izume said still cuddled up with me.

"Yeah, it is. But that's not the worst part, you could be an easy kill for anything or anyone." Kirito said.

"That's true, you wouldn't be able to anything to stop them. You'd be a sitting duck in that situation." Asuna said.

"A smart decision is to not push yourself." I said. "If you push yourself, this will happen."

"Yeah." Izume said.

"You said we leave in an hour, right Kirito?" I asked.

"Yes. We depart in one hour after gathering up in the center of town." Kirirto replied.

"Okay, that gives me time." I said.

"Time for what?" Asuna asked.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll be back in time." I said. "I'll stay in the party but don't worry about me." I said smiling as I began to depart. Izume wasn't letting me get away that easy.

"Akito? Where are you going?" She asked.

"Just shopping." I said.

"But you hate shopping?" Izume said.

"Yeah, that's true, when it's shopping for myself." I responded.

"Oh, who's it for?" She questioned.

"You'll find out." I said and left the group. I sent them a message stating "If you need me, message me and I'll be there ASAP".

I spent ages trying to find a gift for Izume, something she'd like. I'd never been shopping for someone else before so I didn't really know what I was looking for.

"Hey Akito!" A somewhat distant voice called. I couldn't really tell who it was.

"Uhh.. Hello?" I responded.

"Hey!" The voice said as I turned around and jumped out of my skin.

"Ahh! God, never do that again, I might have a heart attack." I said. The person who made me almost have a heart attack was Lisbeth.

"Hehe. Sorry, but I saw you and wanted to ask you something." Lisbeth said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Well, you see, there's this item called 'Titan's Hold' and it allows the wearer to have better smithing abilities. But it costs a lot and I don't have much..." Lisbeth began saying.

"I'll buy it for you." I sighed.

"You will?" Lisbeth asked.

"Yes, on one condition." I said.

"Go on." She replied.

"You help me find a gift for Izume." I asked.

"Oooh~ Is somebody in love." Lisbeth teased.

"Yes, actually, we both are." I said stopping her teasing.

"Oh. Aww. Sure I'll help you." Lisbeth said.

"Thanks." I responded.

We walked around looking in every shop, but nothing seemed to captivate me. Until I entered a store that looked quite run down and about to be closed down. Inside the shop was an NPC selling a hair accessory which looked like a rose. I bought it straight away with Lisbeth's advice and then we bought what Lisbeth needed.

"Thanks Akito. I'll see you later." Lisbeth said departing to her store.

"See you later." I replied making my way back the Izume, Asuna and Kirito.

It turned out that I had taken too long and everyone had already gone ahead with clearing the floors up to floor 50. I rushed up trough dungeon after dungeon until I reached everyone else on floor 50. They were all clearing the duneon as I arrived and I got some unhappy looks. I walked up to Izume and she looked happy to see me, far from what I can say for others.

"Hey, sorry I took so long. I'm terrible at shopping." I said laughing, I was getting even worse looks as I laughed.

"No worries. But why did it take you so long." Izume asked.

"I wanted to get you something, but I'm not a people person you could say, so I had a hard time finding something, thanks to Lisbeth, she helped me find something out for you." I smiled.

"Aww, thank you." Izume smiled back.

"Should I give it to you now?" I asked.

"Not yet, let's clear this floor first, then you can." Izume said smiling.

We cleared all the enemies on the 50th floor and we approached the boss room door. Izume grabbed my hand. I held her hand tightly as she did the same to mine. I looked over to Kirito and Asuna and nodded. This would be our hardest fight yet. We were prepared, but I felt bad. I had left everyone to push on through nine floors and I had failed to help them. I had to make up for my mistakes. I opened up the boss room door as I got a chill that made me shiver.

"Everyone ready." Asuna asked. Everyone put their blades, axes and spears in the air shouting "Yeah!"

"Let's do this." Kirito said to everyone. "This will be the hardest fight we've had to deal with yet. Everyone have teleport crystals ready if the battle gets to tough."

I entered the boss room before everyone was ready and without anyone noticing. I don't know why I did, but for some reason I just had to.

"Where's Akito?" Izume asked worriedly.

"He was right next to you, wasn't he?" Asuna replied.

"Oh no." Kirito said.

"What Kirito?" Asuna and Izume said together.

"Look in the boss room." Kirito said pointing to me.

"Akito!" Izume shouted. I turned around realising what I'd done when the boss blocked everyone from me. The boss was a giant arachnid with long lances for its legs. It's name was 'The Night Crawler'. I pulled out 'Seraphin' and readied for battle. "Akito!" Izume shouted to me again.

"Lead it away from the entrance so we can help." Kirito and Asuna shouted.

I backed up leading The Night Crawler away from the entrance allowing everyone else to join the fight. I then knew I could attack so I started slicing at its legs but it's health remained unchanged. This shocked me, this led me to believe that its legs are immune to damage at this stage.

"The legs do not take damage yet, so we need a method to attack it from either underneath it or on top of it!" I shouted. I was understood and everyone started to attack the underneath of the Night Crawler. Its health started to drop and this filled me with hope. I used Lights Ruin to bring the Night Crawlers health down to its second bar of health. I then used Phantoms Call to weaken Night Crawler even more as everyone kept attacking. As we kept doing damage to the Night Crawler, it changed its attack pattern, it started trying to pierce and stab at players with it's giant lance like legs. The players began to stop attacking to dodge the oncoming attacks. I didn't. I kept attacking, I didn't have the bosses agro luckily, so I kept damaging the Night Crawler until it's agro was on me, I smirked, rolling out of the way of it's stabbing attacks. The Night Crawler began to fluster around swinging it's two front legs at everyone causing them damage and even killing a few players with its stabbing attacks. I noticed it's back legs were exposed so I sliced at them which caused them to shatter into shards. The Night Crawler fell back but kept swinging and stabbing at players. This caused some players to stutter back as I kept slicing away at it's underside. It's health kept dropping as players kept attacking. I would then use my sword skills to bring the Night Crawler to it's final bar of health where it grew plates of armor over its body, legs and head. The only exposed area was it's brain and I knew what to do.

"Izume! Asuna! Kirito! I need your help." I shouted to them.

"What is it?" Izume asked.

"I'm guessing you want to kill the boss." Kirito said with a hint of sarcasm to his voice.

"Yes. I do. But to do so, I will need your help." I said.

"What's the plan?" Asuna questioned.

"Its final weak spot is on the back of it's head. But to reach it, I'll need a boost up." I explained.

"We can do that." Asuna and Kirito said nodding at one another.

"Good, You'll also need to boost up Izume." I told them. They gave me a nod for confirmation. "Izume, Once we are on top of the Night Crawlers back, I will give you a boost up to the exposed area of it's head, then you don't stop attacking until it bursts into shards."

"Understood." nodded Izume.

We put plan into action, Kirito and Asuna got into position and I ran and as my feet hit their hands they thrusted me into the air and I propelled myself onto the back of the Night Crawler. The boss began getting furious and began to move it's body making it incredibly difficult to stay on, I had a great balance stat so I wasn't effected too much but when Izume was boosted up, she was, she was getting thrown from left to right on the Night Crawlers back, struggling for grip. I grabbed her hand and held her close, pushing forward on the back of the arachnid boss. We reached it's head and I lifted her up to it's head.

"Finish this battle Izume!" I called out to her.

"Got it!" She responded and she forced her short sword into the arachnids head sending it into shards. She gracefully landed on her feet and she smiled at me. "Did it."

"Nice job. Now we wave cleared fifty floors of Aincrad." Kirito said.

We headed home and tucked in for the night. For once I actually managed to fall asleep. I dreamed that I was back in reality and all the friends I had met in game were there. I dreamed that I was holding Izume in my arms and I was in hers, that we were pressed against each other, holding ourselves close to the other, getting to hold each other for the first time. I just hoped this would become a reality.


End file.
